Pull strip opener for containers



20, 1957 A, ANTAL 2,803,367

PULL. STRIP OPENER FoR CONTMNERS Filed April 25, 1955 JOHN A. ANTAL HIS ATTORNEY United States PULL STRIP OPENER FR CQNTAINERS John A. Antal, Hollywood, Calif.

Application April 2S, 1955, Serial No. 503,716

3 Claims. (Cl. 21S- 46) This invention relates to a pull strip opener for containers.

It is an object of my invention to provide a closure for cans and caps which is substantially equal in strength and rigidity to the conventional closure now in use, but which is capable of being manually broken to permit removal of the contents from the can or container. The principal and obvious advantage of such a device is the convenience of the user being able to open the container at any time or place without the use of an opener or other assistance of any kind.

In the past, efforts to provide such a device have resulted either in a cap or tear strip which does not properly seal and secure the contents of the container, or in a design which is impractical to manufacture because it is too expensive, because it requires new and different machinery, or because the ngers of the user do not have the strength to perform the operation which the inventor has envisioned.

It is an object of my invention to overcome these deficiencies by providing a pull strip which by reason of its construction normally resists the forces which tend to open it or remove it from the container, while at the same time being readily removable upon the exertion of the proper type of manual force.

In essence, my invention contemplates such a closure which is formed of three areas of material which are interlocked in such a manner as to normally resist the separating forces and stresses to which they are subjected in use, and which interlock is adapted to be manually broken.

In the case of caps, it is a further object of my invention to provide a cap which can be manufactured and placed on containers through the use of conventional equipment which is now being used and which cap is comparable in construction to those now in use.

My invention also comprises such other objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by my invention.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of my in- Vention.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of my' invention employed in a cap;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the same taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing release of the pull strip in dotted lines;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of my invention in use on a container, with the same partly broken away to show the interior structure;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing how the pull strip shown in Fig. 4 is released;

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2,393,367 Patented Aug. 20, 1957 Fig. 6 is a top plan view of another embodiment of my invention in use in a cap;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the same taken on line 7 7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a sectional View of the same taken on line 8 8 of Fig. 6, with release of the pull strip shown in dotted lines.

An embodiment which has been selected to illustrate my invention comprises a container cap 10, having a top 11 and sides 12. The sides are crimped inwardly in the conventional manner to hold the cap 10 on the top of the container. The pull strip 13 extends diametrically across one side 12 and the top 11 of the cap 10. A tab 14 which is integral with the pull strip 13 extends downwardly beneath the side 12. Y

The edges of the pull strip 13 are provided with alternating trapezoidal scallops 15 which interlock with corresponding alternating trapezoidal scallops 17 which are integral with the top 11 of the cap 10 on each side of the tear strip 13.

The lines defining the edges of the pull strip 13 are cut completely through the material forming the cap 1l). A portion of the cap 10 adjacent the end of the pull strip 13 opposite from the tab 14 may be left intact to hold the parts together. The pull strip 13 and cap 10 may thus be formed from a single piece of material.

The two halves of the top 11 of cap 10 are prevented from separating from each other by their inter-engagement with the pull strip 13. The tab 14 may, however, be manually lifted to move the pull strip 13 upwardly and break the inter-engagement between the dovetailed scallops and indentations. The two halves of the cap are then free to move apart from each other, permitting removal of the cap 10 from the container.

The integral portion of material which is provided at the end of the pull strip 13 may also be provided at the center, with the tab 14 on each side of the cap 10. The integral portion of material may also be omitted entirely. In the latter case, the pull strip and the opposite sides of the cap 11) wo-uld be held together by a suitable material such as lacquer or varnish in a manner similar to that used to seal a row of staples together before use. This would be necessary only during the time before the blank is formed into a cap. A cork seal 19 of the conventional type would be used within my cap 10, being held between the top 11 and the top of the container.

An embodiment of my invention for use on a can comprises a can 26 having a cylindrical side 21 with a pull strip 22 adjacent the top thereof. The can 2% is provided with a bottom and a top 24. The top 24 is attached to the side 21 above the pull strip 22. An inner ring 25 is attached to the inside of the side 21 beneath the pull strip 22. The inner ring 25' has a flange 26 which extends parallel to the top 24. A resilient sealing ring 27 may be compressed between the iiange 26 and the top 24.

The material forming the side 21 is bent back on itself to provide an overlap portion 28. One end of the pull strip 22 is provided with a hook portion 29 which extends over the overlap portion 28 and hooks against the end thereof. Integral with the hook portion 29 is a tab 3? which has an upwardly curving lip 31 at the end thereof.

In use, the iinger or finger-nail of the user is placed under the lip 31 to move the tab 30 away from the side 21 of the can. The tab 30 moves the hook portion 29 away from engagement with the overlap portion 2S. The pull strip 22 is provided with interlocking portions similar to those previously described, with such interlocking engagement being broken by movement of the pull strip 22 away from the side 21. When the pull strip 22thas been completely unwound, the top 24 can be separated from the remainder of the can 20.

Another embodiment of my invention in use in a cap is shown in Figs. 6-8 of the drawings. In this embodiment, a cap 32 is divided by a diametrical slit 33. A row of slots 34 extends parallel to the slit 33 on eachV side thereof. A Vpull -strip 35 is provided with a plurality of anges 36,- which extend downwardly therefrom at a right angle. The flanges 36 correspond in size and shape tothe slots 34.

When the cap 32 is on a container, the anges 36 engage the slots 34 to hold the cap in place. When the pull strip 35 is lifted by manual pressure on an integral tab 37, the anges 36 are Vlifted out of slots 34, permitting the two halves of cap 32 to separate.

I claim: Y

1. A cap for sealing containers having a substantially at top and an annular side portion extending therearound and depending downwardly therefrom, said side portion being crimped inwardly, there being two spaced rows of alternating substantially trapezoidal scallops and indentations cut completely through the top of said cap and extending transversely across the rnidportion thereof, said scallops and indentations dividing said cap into three parts interlocked together by the interengagement of said scallops and indentations, the interlocking of said parts preventing relative movement of said parts in the plane of their interengagement, said rows defining the opposite edges of a pull strip, said pull strip having a tab integral therewith extending downwardly beyond the lower edge of said side portion on one side of said cap, said tab adapted upon manual upward movement to move said pull strip upwardly and separate the interlocked scallops and indentations of the three parts of said cap to permit removal of said cap from the container.

2. A cap for sealing a container, said cap having a substantially at top, and an annular side portion extending therearound and crimped inwardly to hold said cap on the neck of a container, said cap having two rows of interlock portions extending from the bottom edge of said side portion substantially across said top, said interlock portions being formed by cuts extending completely through the material forming said cap to sever and divide said cap into three portions, said portions comprising a pull strip dened by said rows and portions of said cap on the opposite sides of said pull strip, said interlock portions preventing relative movement of the three parts of said cap in the plane of their interengagement, said pull strip adapted to be manually moved in a plane other than a plane of interengagement of said interlock portions to separate the parts of said cap from each other and permit removal of the cap from the container.

3. A container or the like having two rows of spaced cuts extending completely through a substantial portion thereof, said cuts dividing said container into three parts, one of said parts comprising a pull strip defined by said rows and including the area therebetween, the other two of said parts comprising the portions of said container on the opposite sides of said pull strip, said cuts providing a plurality of spaced interlock portions along the opposite edges of said pull strip which are interengaged with complementary interlock portions extending along the edges of both adjacent portions of said container, to prevent relative movement of said parts in the plane ofv said interengagement, said pull strip adapted to be manually moved in a plane other than a plane of interengagement to separate said interlock portions and remove said pull strip from interengagement with the portions of said container on opposite sides thereof.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,285,542 Tasker kJune 9, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 8,129 Switzerland Feb. 27, 1894 

